Electrician Steve Hale replaces about a dozen burned-out lights on the chandelier in the House chamber at the Indiana Statehouse in 2011.

Written by

Lesley Stedman Weidenbener

Since the first time I served as a page in the Indiana House of Representatives some 30-plus years ago, I've been fascinated by the Statehouse and its architecture.

When I returned at 20 to serve as an intern during a historic session in which the House was split with 50 Republicans and 50 Democrats, I promised myself that someday I'd be back there full time.

And in the nearly 17 years that I've indeed been a reporter at the Statehouse, I have routinely admired the marble columns, the stained glass in the dome and the limestone block walls, and I've felt blessed to get to experience such a beautiful ...